On Sunday, December 22, 2024, Belfast City Airport (BHD) was closed after the nosewheel on an Aer Lingus ATR 72-600 operated by Emerald Airlines collapsed on landing. The incident happened at 16:06 as the turboprop was attempting to land during strong winds when the aircraft slammed nose-first into the runway and skidded to a halt.
This is what the authorities had to say
On Sunday, Aer Lingus flight EA701P departed Edinburgh Airport (EDI) at 15:27 and, after a 39-minute flight, attempted to land at Belfast City Airport (BHD) at 16:06. The aircraft involved was a 2015 ATR 72-600, registration G-CMMK and MSN 1297, registered to Aer Lingus and operated by Emerald Airlines.
Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock.com
This is the statement from Belfast City Airport:
“At around 4pm today, Sunday 22 December, an Aer Lingus regional flight, operated by Emerald Airlines, had an incident on landing at Belfast City Airport. This was a positioning flight with no passengers but four crew members onboard. The airport’s emergency procedures were enacted. The runway is currently closed and will be for the rest of the day. Passengers are asked to contact their airline.”
A spokesperson for Emerald Airlines said:
“The positioning flight, EA701P, with no passengers onboard, flying from Edinburgh to Belfast City Airport, 22nd December 2024, experienced a hard landing upon arriving due to the adverse weather conditions.”
Photo: Emerald Airlines
Emergency procedures were enacted and Fire and Rescue units arrived
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it attended the scene at 16:15 when it dispatched four appliances, a specialist rescue team, a command support unit and three supervisory officers. The NIFRS said that on attending the scene, crews encountered an aircraft that had experienced a nose wheel collapse on landing. The NIFRS had 24 personnel in attendance and assisted the Belfast City Airport Fire Service in making the scene safe. At 16:34, the NIFRS response was scaled back to one appliance, with three officers on the scene and all other appliances standing down.
Flights were diverted to other airports
According to the Belfast Telegraph, Aer Lingus, KLM, British Airways and easyJet flights due to depart the airport were canceled, immediately impacting passengers trying to get to numerous cities, including Amsterdam, London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
Photo: Roel Hemkes | Wikimedia Commons
A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport (BFS) said four flights had been redirected there but warned the airport was running close to capacity. “We are limited in how many more redirected flights we can take this evening, however we will continue to support where possible.”
“Given the circumstances, our teams on the ground are working to help these additional flights as quickly as possible. We would ask for passengers’ patience as we support each additional flight.”
Five other flights were diverted to Dublin Airport, and Media Relations Manager Graeme McQueen said the airport “was happy to accommodate five diverted aircraft from Belfast City airport this evening,” adding:
“Members of Dublin Airport’s airfield operations team are currently traveling to Belfast with aircraft recovery equipment. We are happy to help our neighbouring airport.”
Wild weather across the United Kingdom also affected travel at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), where around 100 flights were canceled on Sunday due to strong winds and airspace restrictions. Trains and sea ferries were also impacted as winds rose to more that 70 miles per hour across the country.